[poincaredisk]

>But this has been the norm for a while, no? I can't remember the last time I didn't utilize credit at a restaurant or retail store.

I'm not saying you're wrong, but I want to highlight that this is US specific. I'm in Europe, in my 30s and I never owned a credit card. The same goes for all my friends. Even ones who had to get a credit card for a trip to US, or got one from their bank without asking, don't use them.